Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) Price Target Raised to $270.00

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $180.00 to $270.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the online travel company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on EXPE. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Expedia Group from $220.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Expedia Group from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on Expedia Group from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and twenty-four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $288.16.

Expedia Group Stock Up 1.2%

Expedia Group stock opened at $294.28 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $273.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.16, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.43. Expedia Group has a fifty-two week low of $130.01 and a fifty-two week high of $303.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The online travel company reported $7.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.10 by $0.47. Expedia Group had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 64.15%. The business had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Expedia Group will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

Expedia Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Expedia Group’s payout ratio is presently 15.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 849 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.08, for a total value of $210,619.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 11,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,893,108.96. This represents a 6.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Craig A. Jacobson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.55, for a total value of $814,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,379,489.90. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 4,849 shares of company stock worth $1,283,270 in the last three months. 9.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXPE. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expedia Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in Expedia Group by 114.3% during the 2nd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 150 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC lifted its position in shares of Expedia Group by 103.8% during the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 161 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 90.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.

Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.